PONY WARS : the spark of friendship
by MR-Readiness
Summary: wind walker was a young zeboid who lived and worked on his uncle's farm in the remote town of sandy dunes... and he was bored beyond belief. He yearned for adventures that would take him beyond equestria. But he got much more than he bargained for...
1. intro

PONY WARS

The spark of friendship

The civil war has begun. The rainbow Rebellion, striking from a hidden base, has won their first victory against the evil Equestrian Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empress's new battle airship the Power of the empress, an armoured ship with enough fire power to lay waist to an entire city.

Now in possession of the stolen plans and Pursued by the Empress's sinister agents, representative Cloud racer speeds aboard her airship to an old ally to restore freedom and friendship to Equestria…


	2. Chapter 1 The beginning

Chapter 1

The beginning

It was a vast, shining desert, sand dunes going on for miles in every direction. Thus, the desert had fooled many a pony trying to navigate it and they have been claimed as its victims. At first it seemed certain nothing could exist in such a place, least of all ponies, but if you knew where to look there is life. For a few miles above the desert a vessel races across swerving left, right, down and up. The erratic course the air cruiser was travelling was intentional, not the product of injury but of a desperate desire to avoid it.

The vessel was the middle class, official's ship the Freedom; it looked like enlarged sailing yacht except without the sails and added guns. The few guns it had where firing a constant bombardment. The Shells from the running ship struck its much bigger assailant but to no avail as the shells just ricocheted of its much thicker hull. The assailant was a death class, imperial battle airship called the Vengeance and it was thrice as big as the freedom with dozens of heavy weapons bristling cactus like from its hull.

The Vengeance was firing at the freedom, trying to disable the fleeing ship. Then from the bow of the ship a green beam of energy succeeded in striking the stern of the Freedom close to the engines. Bits of metal, plastic and wood fell to the desert below. The vessel seemed to shudder and stop.

The beam ceased and the guns stopped as the battle airship moved in close. Intermittent explosions and flashes of light could be seen in those portions of the smaller ship which had taken hits. The battle airship now snuggled up alongside its wounded prey. As it did so a small escape pod shot out the motionless ship and headed down to the desert.

Inside the Freedom the small explosions shook the ship. As the explosions continued a small band of Pegasus's and earth ponies branding swords or spears appeared, clad in slightly rusty bronze armour ready for a fight. Their expressions were worry-wrinkled, and they carried about them the aura of ponies prepared to die. They rounded a corner to a corridor which connected to the docking door was and took positions around it. The corridor then fell in to a deathly silent. after a minute or two more a faint scrape, scrape could be heard from the other side of the door.

Then the door they were guarding made a shriek. As the sound of overstressed metal filled the air, two red dots appeared and made their way around the outline of the door staying parallel to each other. The ponies' nearest the door turned their faces away as the two red dots shot out sparks that danced off the floor and walls. The red dots stopped and the door now attached to nothing flew from its place and landed on an earth pony at the end of the corridor.

A unicorn clad in silver armour jumped into the corridor and instantly made a shield wall. Then earth Ponies in red armour began pouring behind the shield wall and threw grenades into the rebel ponies. In seconds the passageway was filled with smoke and death. One of the rebel Pegasus lifted and threw a magically enhanced spear which penetrated the shield wall. The unicorn fell dead the spear in its chest. With the shield wall down the rebel ponies charged the imperial drones and fought them sword on sword, hoof on hoof. Screams of injured and dying ponies echoed piercingly above the destruction.

In the chaos a figure appeared out of the smoke it wasn't a pony, Pegasus or unicorn but an alicorn. Towering over the ponies in her black armour, with flowing green and yellow hair, cream coloured wings tucked by her side and its face completely masked by a by a black helmet. Its figure was an awesome, threatening shape as it strode into the corridor.

The best that could be said about this door battle with the alicorn involved was that it was short, however one-sided and brutal. Ponies are strong creatures, but this alicorn had strong magic and the will to use it. Any pony that attempted to fight it was struck with a single strike of magic which sent the pony flying in to the wall with a sickening crunch.

Fear followed the hoofsteps of the Dark being. The dark aura clung tight around this being was intense enough to cause the Imperial drones to take a step to the side, even though they where made to not feel. Once the bravest of the rebel crew members had been killed the rest ceased resisting, broke and ran in panic at the sight of the black armour. The only thing darker than that armour was the mind within.

One thought and one obsession dominated that mind now. It burned in the brain of Black soul as she walked out the corridor and turned down another passageway in the broken ship. The smoke at the door was beginning to clear, all the fighting had stopped the ship had been taken.

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In a corridor outside the ships control room sullen prisoners gathered by imperial drones sat. Some lay wounded, some dying. The higher ranking ponies had been separated and stood in a small group by themselves, some glancing looks of anger or disgust on the silent knot of drones holding them at bay.

As if on command, the Imperial drones came to attention sliding there hooves together and lifting their heads up. The rebels became silent as a massive winged form came into view from behind a turn in the passage.

An Imperial officer, his armoured green helmet with and gash on one side where some sort of sharp weapon had grazed him, walked out of the cruiser's control room, shaking his head briskly. "Nothing, everything been wiped clean and the communications loge is destroyed."

Black soul acknowledged this news with a barely perceptible nod. She then looked at the prisoners and with a slow carful voice asked "which one of you is the communications officer?"

One blue earth pony stallion with a megaphone cutie mark walked out "I am."

Wordlessly the alicorn's horn glowed and a ring of orange magic closed around his neck and lifted him off the deck. The rebel officer's eyes bulged, but he kept his silence. Then the same orange magic levitated lifted the helmet the alicorn was wearing. A face beautiful yet seen time in battle and with a pair of orange eyes greeted the stallion. The magical ring contracted. The prisoner lifted his hooves, desperately tried to get rid of it, but to no avail.

"A transmission was beamed to this vessel during the battle of the mouth I want to know what happened to the data they sent you" Black soul said calmly yet dangerously. "What have you done with the plans?"

"We—intercepted—no information," the officer gurgled, barely able to breathe. From somewhere deep within, he dredged up a squeal of outrage. "We weren't at … any battle … did you not see our … exterior markings? We're on a … diplomatic … mission."

"Yes and I'm celesta!" Soul mocked. "Where are those tapes?" her magic squeezed harder, the threat in her implicit.

When he finally replied, the officer's voice was a bare, choked whisper. "Only … the Commander knows."

"This ship carries the crest of the city of York," Soul growled her temper rising "Is there any officials on board? Who are you carrying?" The magic tightened further, and the officer's struggles became more and more frantic. His last words were muffled and choked past intelligibility.

Soul was not pleased she had failed once to capture the plans she won't do it again. The figure in her magic went limp with an awful, unquestionable finality, her magic continued to tighten, producing a chilling snapping and popping of bone.

She then threw the body of the dead stallion against a far wall shouting "dam it!" Several Imperial drones ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the grisly missile. The massive form whirled unexpectedly, and an Imperial officer jumped as she spoke. "Start tearing this ship apart piece by piece, component by component, until you find those plans. As for the passengers, if any, I want them alive." She walked out putting her helmet back on.

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Glare from exploding panels and erupting circuitry reflected crazily off the armour of the lead imperial drone as he surveyed the passageway ahead. He was about to turn and call for those behind to follow him forward when he noticed something moving off to one side. It appeared to be crouching back in a small, dark alcove. Ready for a fight, he moved cautiously forward and peered into the recess.

A small, shivering pony hugged the back of the recess and stared up at the drone. The drone could see that he faced a young mare, although looking more closely; this pony had black strips overlaid on her red coat and a black and white mane that ended in a curl. Her cutie mark was a scroll next to a light bulb.

Thinking that this pony might be of interest to soul, its head turned slightly, looking at those behind him. "There's a pony," it called back. "Get a spellcaster for stunning fore—"

It never finished the sentence; once his attention turned from the mare her shivering vanished. With startling speed she burst out from her hiding place, turned and bucked the drone square in the face.

The drone that had been unlucky enough to find her shot back colliding with the drone coming up behind him. Then a silver armoured spellcaster drone sent a bright green beam. Which struck the pony and she slumped instantly to the deck.

The spellcaster knelt and turned her over. He studied the paralyzed form with a practiced eye.

"She'll be all right," it finally declared, looking up at his subordinates. "Report this to Black soul."

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The binding that chained her back hooves to her front was primitive and effective. The constant attention the squad of heavily armed drones that accompanied her might have been out of place for one mare, except for the fact that she killed one drone and injured several others when he woke up.

When she deliberately slowed her pace, however, it became apparent that her captors did not mind mistreating her. One of the drones shoved her brutally and she nearly fell. Turning, she gave it a vicious look. She couldn't tell if it had any effect, since the face was completely hidden by its armoured helmet.

The hallway they eventually emerged had a hole in the roof and floor which was still smoking around the edges from a shell blasted through the hull of the Freedom. Some bits of wood had been used to cover the floor to stop unsuspecting ponies falling though.

"I hope you're going pay for that" she said lifting an eyebrow. Then a shadow moved over her as she turned from inspecting the holes.

Above her towered the threatening figure of Black soul, orange eyes glaring behind the helmet. A muscle twitched in one smooth cheek, but other than that the mare didn't react.

Black soul steered at her for a few minutes then again levitated her helmet and placed it on the deck "A zebroid." She said curiously "who are you?"

"I am Cloud racer and a representative of York of the imperial council. You must Black soul only you would be so bold—and so stupid. Well, the Imperial council will not sit still for this. When they hear that you have attacked a diplomatic miss—"

Black soul unfolded her five foot wings making her look three times a big, startling Cloud racer, and making here go quiet despite her usually unshakable self-control.

"Rep Cloud racer," Soul said softly refolding her wings "Don't play games with me, you aren't on any mercy mission this time. Your ship was seen at the battle of the mouth, where the plans where transmitted to it."

Neither Soul's words nor her inimical presence appeared to have any effect on the mere. "I don't know what you're blathering about," she snapped, looking away from him. "I'm a member of the council on a diplomatic mission to—"

"You are part of the Rainbow rebellion and a traitor" Soul declared, her patience reaching its limit. His gaze went to a nearby officer. "Take her away!"

Soul watched her with interest as she was marched away to be placed on the Vengeance. A tall, slim officer wearing a green uniform attracted Soul's attention as he came up next to him.

"Holding her is dangerous," he ventured, likewise looking after her as she was escorted toward the battle Airship. "If word of this does get out, there will be much unrest in the council. It will generate sympathy for the rebels."The officer looked up at soul's face she seemed to be thinking, and then added in an offhanded manner, "She should be destroyed immediately, like all half breeds should be."

"No. My first duty is to locate their HQ or gem city as they keep calling it," Soul replied easily. "She is my only key to discovering its location. Plus she is familiar and I don't know why. Either way I will find out."

The officer pursed his lips, shook his head slightly, perhaps a bit sympathetically, as he considered the mare. "She'll die before she gives you any information."

Soul's reply was chilling in its indifference. "There are worst things than death." She considered a moment, and then went on. "Send out a wide-band distress signal. Indicate that the ship encountered a rogue lighting cloud and that it could not avoided. Striking the ship, causing several fires that quickly grew out of control. Inform her family and the Senate that all aboard were killed."

A cluster of drones marched purposefully up to their Black Soul and the officer. Soul eyed them expectantly.

"The data in question is not aboard the ship. There is no valuable information on the computers and no evidence that anything was erased," the officer in charge recited mechanically. "Nor were any transmissions directed outward from the ship from the time we made contact. When we where docking with the ship an escape pod was ejected, but it wasn't detected at the time because it fell with some debris."

Soul appeared thoughtful. "Clever launching it that way," he mused, "it probably contains the plans. In all probability any native finding them would be ignorant of their importance and would likely clear the pod for their own use. Still …

"Send down a detachment to retrieve them, or to make certain they are not in the pod," he finally ordered to a second officer. "Be as subtle as possible; there is no need to attract attention, even in this miserable place."

As the officer and the drones departed, Soul turned her gaze back to the first officer.

"Burn this ship to dust; we don't want to leave anything. As for the pod, I cannot take the chance somepony might find it and know what the information is. It could prove too damaging. See to this personally. Retrieved or destroy those plans at all costs." Then she added with a smile of satisfaction, "With that accomplished and the rep in our hooves, we will see the end of this absurd rebellion."Soul piked up her helmet and places it back on her head.

"We obey," the officer acknowledged. Both then turned and made their way back to the Hand.


	3. Chapter 2 A discovery

Chapter 2

A discovery

There was an old desert saying that you could burn your eyes by steering at the sand then by looking at the sun itself, so powerful was the penetrating glare reflected from those endless wastes. Despite the glare, life could and did exist. One thing made it possible: the reintroduction of water.

However, the water was only magically accessible and by a water crystal only. These crystals can generate a steady, indefinite supply of water, to areas that don't have easy access to it. The places that put these water crystals to use were known as water farms. Near the town of sand dunes, the only town for a hundred miles, one of this water farms operated.

In the middle of an inhospitable flat a figure whose concern was fixing a broken antenna, worked. The figure was a pony, although black strips overlaid on his red coat, his black and white mane sweaty and filled with sand. A screwdriver and light bulb cutie mark was visible under a thin layer of sand.

Wind walker was swearing softly, with a screwdriver he was trying to pry open a flap, which have gave access to the wiring but it refused to open. From time to time he resorted to some unsubtle pounding with his hooves. Neither method worked very well. Wind was sure that the antenna was mocking him, laughing at his struggle. He wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned back for a moment. A light breeze tugged at his shaggy hair as he regarded the device. "No point in staying angry at you", he said to the machine.

Wind considered his predicament, gazed at the machine, and then inclined his head to study the sky. No sign of a cloud, and he knew there never would be. There wasn't a cloud factory to produce them. He was about to try once again when a small pop and an intense gleam of light caught his attention. Quickly he slipped his screwdriver back in his utility belt and took out the carefully cleaned set of binoculars and focused where he heard the sound and saw the gleam.

For a long time he stared, wishing all the while that he had something more powerful instead of these binoculars. He stared in to the desert but couldn't find the source of the sound and light. Disappointed he clipped the binoculars back onto his belt, and turned back to the antenna.

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The sun was egging its way towards the east turning the sky gold, russet, and flaming red-orange as it came ever closer to the land.

Wind was now walking back, the antenna fixed. In the distances he saw the small domes that indicated the presence of home. As he got nearer a figure stood looking toward him from the doorway of the largest dome. The figure was a slightly overweight brown unicorn who wore an air of grim, semi-perpetual exhaustion, sandblasted into his face by too many years of arguing with a hostile environment. His grey hair was frozen in tangled twists like gypsum helictites yet under that he still looked kind. Dust frosted his face, body and the water drop cutie mark. The body, if not the spirit, was still powerful.

"Hello uncle washer" wind called out.

"Hello wind" uncle washer called back "did you get the antenna working?"

"Yes, sand had got into the relay system" wind said walking up the door uncle washer was standing in. "how are the water crystals?"

"Poor, there're producing half the usual rate"

"Is that wind?" a voice called.

Turning away from the conversation, Wind walked over to the near edge of the subterranean courtyard and peered down. A stout blue earth pony with a cutie mark of a singing sparrow was busy working among decorative plants. She looked up at him. "Hello did get it working."

Wind nodded then thinking back he asked "aunt Sing more did you two see or hear any unusual?"

Both ponies shook their heads "why?" his uncle asked.

Wing shrugged "I thought … nothing, must have been my imagination."

With that Wind and his uncle walked down into the courtyard. Aunt Sing more had walked into the kitchen "dinner will be ready in a few minutes" she said.

Wind perked up at this. "Exhalant I can start finish working on the …"

"Ah, don't you have your chores to finish as well," his uncle warned him sternly. "I don't mind you wasting time on that ship, but only after you've finished your chores. Now hop to it."

Wind slouched off to finish his chores knowing better than to argue with his uncle.

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Later that day Wind was in the garage, sat inside a small flyer which looked like it hadn't flown for years. The bits which hadn't been replaced were slightly rusty and needed a good polish. Wind was working on the battered ships radio as he did so he talked to it. "I can't wait to get you fixed" he said placing a wire in the proper place "just imagine the adventures new lands, new people and colours other than yellow." He switched the power on and the radio hummed into life. "There you go" he said to the ship "now we can communicate to other ponies" he put his tools down and got out of the flyer happy with his work.

Then he heard two beeps he turned around to see where it was coming from. The two beeps came again, and he discovered it was coming from the radio he had just fixed. He looked at the radio and at the frequency it read unknown. _It must have tuned in accidently_ Wind thought. Whatever the signal was it was strong, if Wind had to guess, maybe one or two miles away.

Wind took a portable radio tried to tune it to the same frequency with a few try's the two beeps came back. Then Wind got a compass turned facing all directions. It was a miniscule change but Winds ears was able to tell. It got quieter when facing northwest but louder facing southeast. Wind got excited tasting adventure. He ran from the garage and upside. He stood on a small ridge which formed the highest point close by the homestead, which gave Wind a panoramic view of the surrounding desert. Bringing out the binoculars, he scanned South East at the rapidly darkening horizon for something anything out the ordinary.

The binoculars finally came down, and, "too dark" Wind commented to himself. Wind turned and studiously examined the wall of black advancing toward him.

A shout rose from the homestead below. "Wind, are you finished? I'm turning down the power for the night."

"Yep!" Wind responded. "I'll be down in a few minutes, Uncle Washer!" He might be bored out of his mind but he wasn't stupid enough to go out at night. He took one last look at the vanished horizon as he descended back into the garage.

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"Wind … Wind walker!" Washer glanced from side to side, loosening his neck muscles. "Where could that colt be?" he wondered aloud at the lack of response. There was no sign of movement in the homestead, and he had already checked above.

"Wind!" he yelled again. Wind, Wind, Wind … the name echoed teasingly back at him from the homestead walls. Starting to get worried he turned and walked back into the kitchen, where Sing more was preparing breakfast.

"Have you seen Wind this morning?" he asked as softly. She glanced briefly at him, and then returned to her cooking. "Yes. He said he was going on and adventure, so he left early so that he could do his chores when he came back."

"Ho dear?" Washer frowned worriedly. "The last time he went on an adventure, he brought back that desert scorpion egg. Did he take a communicator?"

"Well to be fair to him back then, he didn't know what one looked like and yes I made sure of it."

"Well," Washer mused, uncomfortable with that knowledge, "he'd better get back by midday or there'll be hell to pay."

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Wind with the portable radio in hoof was walking in the direction of what he thought was the origin of the beeping. Every now and then the two beeps would come but each time louder than the last indicating he was on the right path. Stopping he took out his binoculars from is saddle bag and had a look hoping to find the origin of the beeps. Then in the distance a shape came in to view. "That's it," Wind declared to himself with mixed excitement and satisfaction. He switched of the radio and galloped the rest of the way and reached it in seconds.

The pod was half-buried and now forming the backbone of a dune slightly higher than its neighbour's. _Looks recent_ he thought _I wander if this is the thing I heard and saw earlier_. Wind tried to open the door to no avail. "Hello, anypony inside?" he called in, no response. So he tried the door again but put his full effort in to it and then the door gave way with a powerful crack, and the recoil sent Wind tumbling head over heels.

Cursing he got to his hooves and shook the sand out of his mane, - then realizing the door was actually open he looked inside. Nothing and nopony, feeling disappointed that his trip may have been for nothing he took a step inside. This move seemed to activate something for a hologram had appeared in front of him it was no bigger than a foul. The image was pony shaped but black and white and the details of the pony where blurred as if this was purposely done or the recording equipment was broken. Wind was so excited now that he discovered he was out of breath—because he had forgotten to breathe.

The image flickered and jiggled unsteadily, as if the recording had been made and installed with haste. Then the figure spoke in a mare's voice "hello," it said, "If you are not the pony in question then please deliver this device…" a gem dropped out of a compartment "to a pony named Rarity it is vital…" Wind picked up the gem and looked at it as the hologram continued "and if you do, ask her how many apples dose truth have? Please deliver this" it implored. Then with a burst of static it dissolved.

Wind put the gem in his bag and sat perfectly still for a long moment. Then he jumped around on the sand shouting "yes, yes, yes! Thank celesta I have a mission!" Stopping suddenly as he went thoughtful "Now who is Rarity?" Wind recited to himself. His expression then brightened again. "Say … I wonder if old Rara avis would know. She is supposed to live out in this general direction, even though nobody knows exactly where." He looked all around trying to find any sign of life.

Unfortunately life found him as three sand coloured masses effortlessly erupted from the ground spewing sand in all directions. What now stood in front of Wind were three enormous scorpions, tails high above them, there stings ready, there pincers snapping threateningly. The scorpions let out a hungry sounding grunt as they moved towards him. Wind was cornered the pod behind him and the scorpions left, right and center. The scorpion on the left shot one of its pincers forwards. Wind jumped back dogging the blow and found himself against the pod. In a gesture more instinctive than calculated he jumped for the open door. As he was about to land his back hoof was grabbed making him lose balance. His head smacked on the hard floor of the pod knocking him out. The last thing he saw where the pincers grabbing for him.


End file.
